Improvement in machines for twisting auger-bits



3 Sheets--Sheet 1.

Patented A'pril2l,1874.

/INVENTO W. TUCKER. Machines for Twisting Auger-Bits. N0.I50,l07.

L a@ I www I 3 Sheets--Sheet 2.

W T LL C K E B Machines fur Twsting Auger-Bits.

N o. l 5 0 l 0 7 Patented April 21, 1874.

VEN? INP, Ilnu WITNESSES By tor/zegs 3 Sheetv-Sheet 8.

W T U CK ER Machines for Twisting 'Aug N o. l 5 0,107*

Patented Apri- 21, 1874.

WlTNESSS l UNITED STATES PATENT GFFIon.

WILLIAM TUCKER, OF FISKEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR TWISTING AUGER-BI'I'S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,107, dated April21, 1874; application filed March 7, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM TUCKER, of Fiskedale, in the county ofWorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Machinefor Twisting Auger-Bits and Angers, of which the following is 'aspecification: v

This invention relates to the manufacture of double-twist auger-bits andangers; and its subject-matter is an improved twisting-machine adaptedto produce a superior quality of work with great rapidity. The inventionconsists, first, in a pair of holding and straightening dies actuated ina peculiar manner, one die being retracted mechanically at the end ofeach twisting stroke, while the other die is retracted by hand forintroducing and removing the plate, and serves as a fixed half-nut forfeeding the blank. The invention consists, secondly, in the combinationof a hand-lever, a ,cam on the rotary driving-shaft, and a pair ofretracting-springs with the said holding and straightening dies, asmeans for actuating the same. The invention consists, thirdly, in apeculiar combination of parts, whereby the reciprocating holding andstraightening die and the oscillating twisting-shaft are adapted to bereadily adjusted or set by hand preliminary to introducing theheatedblank, the driving-pulley and ily-wheel being disconnected to stop themachine, and the driving-shaft serving, with a hand-wheel thereon, asmeans for adjusting the parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Figure l is a plan view of this machine, partly in horizontal section.Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof with the hand-wheel removed. Fig. 3is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is afront elevation of the machine with the parts in their primary position.Fig. 5 is a rear elevation, showing the parts in different positions.Fig. 6 is a partial transverse section at 6 6, Fig. 1, on a largerscale, showing a blank in position. Fig. 7 is an end elevation of thehollow twistingshaft. Fig. 8 isa horizontal section of the holding andstraightening dies with slides to which they are attached. Fig. 9 is aperspective view of one of the dies with its slide.

The frame of this machine consists of a parallel pair of heavy verticalplates, A A2, having lateral ilanges to form extended bases and tops,and to brace the same. This frame is erected on a strong and solidhorizontal base, B, and serves to support all the machinery with itsother appurtenances. At one end of the frame a transverse horizontalshaft, S, is mounted in journal-boxes z, bolted on the tops of therespective frame-plates. This shaft carries outside of the respectiveframe-plates a cam, C, and a disk, D, having a central undercut groove,d, across its outer face. Between the frame-plates a driving-pulley, l?,and aiiywheel, F, attached to the pulley are mounted loosely on theshaftS, and a clutch-disk, L, is mounted on a splined portion thereof,to connect the pulley and ily-Wheel thereto at the will of the operator.A handlever will be applied to this clutch-disk in customary man'- nerfor shifting it. To the outer end of the shaft, in front of the cam C, ahand-wheel, H, of convenient size is attached. Parallel to thisdriving-shaft S isa central hollow twisting-shaft, T, of sufficientdiameter to receive within it the largest size of auger-bit or auger forwhich the other parts of the machine are adapted. This shaft vis mountedin journalboxes z2, bolted to the respective frameplates, and it has atits front end a circular head, t, and at its 'rear end a pinion, P2. Thehead t has a pair of parallel ribs on its face, and a pair of rollers,r, are arranged between these and journaled therein, as shown mostclearly in Figs. 6 and 7. For oscillating the twisting-shaft T a slidingrack, R, is

l mounted in guide-brackets g, arranged at the back of the frame-plateA2 and bolted thereto, the rack being guided in a line radial to thedriving-shaft S, and so as to mesh with the pinion P2. A crank-pin, N,is clamped in the groove d of the diskD on the driving-shaft, and eyesat the respective ends of a connecting-rod, 0, are applied to thiscrank-pin and to a pivot-bolt, o, at the extremity of the rack R. Forholding the blank and for truing vand straightening the twisted bit orauger, -apair of crimp-dies, I I2, are supported in linewith thetwisting-tube T, and in front thereof by slides E E2. These slides workin horizontal ways, W W2, formed. by rails boltedjto the extended top ofthe frame-plateA.l The dies are supported at the inner ends of theirslides by depliorizontal grooves', e, "occupied by ribs 'i on the backsof the dies, and they are secured by vertical pins p, so as to bereadily removable. Itetracting-springs s are arranged in recesses in thebottoms of the die-slides, between pins p on the slides and woodenabutment-blocks a..

For releasing or projecting the die I a handlever, V, carrying a cani,c, is arranged at the outer end of the die-slide E, and fnlcrumed inblocks K, bolted to the frame-plate. A shoe, c, applied to the outer endof the die-slide E2, engages with the cam C, which has two cylindricalsections, l 2, of diierent radial prominence, and projecting andreleasing inclines, 3 4, connecting the concentric cylindrical sections.

To provide for setting up the dies and other parts to take up lash, andfor adjusting them to work smoothly at all times, longitudinal slotsware provided in the bearings e of the driving-shaft S, and in thefnlcrnm-blocks K of the lever V, for'the reception of theirattachingscrews, and adjnstingscrews X are tapped into abutmentprojections behind these parts and in line therewith.

The dies I I2 are constructed with at least three pairs of crimps, m m2ou, so as to operate to straighten the twisted bit or auger.

To admit the shank 'u of the blank in the beginning of the operation,the middle of the dies is reamed ont as far in as the first pair ofcrimps m, as illustrated in Figs. G and 8.

The operation of this machine is as follows: Continuous rotary motion istransmitted to the pulley P and iiy-wheel F by a drivin g-bclt appliedto the former. This motion, with that of the shaft S, is represented byarrows in Figs. 2 to 5. To stop the machine the clutch L is shifted byits lever, so as to disconnect it from the pulley. In this condition themachine is under the control of the hand-wheel H, by means of which theoperator sets the holding-die I2 in retracted position and thetwisting-rollers o' in vertical position, and the die I is retracted bythrowing up the lever V, as illustrated `in Fig. 4. The dat blade u2 ofthe heated blank U, Fig. 6, is now readily introdnced between the dies II2 and rollers r, and into the hollow twisting-shaft T, and the shank uof the blank is introduced between the dies as far as the second crimpsm2, so that the portion a3 of the blade or plate immediately adjoiningshall be held by the first or inner crimps on, which are caused to biteit by depressing the lever V, and thereby projecting the die I. Theclutch L is now projected, and the shaft S is thereby connected to thedriving-pulley and caused to rotate therewith.

In the primary position of the parts illustrated in Fig. 4, and indotted lines in Fig. 5, the project-ing incline 3 of the cam C is closeabove the shoe c on the die-slide E2. Consequently, when the :machine isstarted. this slide is immediately projected, a-nd the closure of thedies is thus completed. The twistingshaft T at this time isrotating"inth'esame direction as the drivin g-shaft--to the rightandthat portion of the blank within the same is rotating therewith. At thesame time those portions of the blank between the holdingdies and thetwisting rollers receive a torsional movement, but at different rates ofspeed, that portion nearest the rollers moving most rapidly, and thatportion adjoining the dies moving most slowly.

The relative positions of the parts at thc middle of this movement isillustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7, and in full lines in Fig. 5.

When the crank-pin N passesits center, opposite the starting-center atwhich it is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, the motion ot' thetwisting-shaft T is reversed, and it turns `to the left. At the instantof this reversal the outer surface 2 of the cam O passes out of contactwith the shoe c of the die-slide E2, and the die I2 is permitted by theretractingincline et to recede under the pressure of its spring s.

The entire blank now rotates with the twisting-shaft, and is screwedbackward into and through the dies, as indicated by arrow in Fig. 6. Theclamping and twisting actions then recur, and the newly-twisted portionis v fed into the dies, and so on, in rapid succession, until the entirelength of the plate has been twisted. The machine is then stopped, andthe parts are returned to their iirst position, and the die I isretracted by throwing up the lever V. The twisted bit or auger is thenwithdrawn from the opened dies. A new blank is introduced, the machineis again started, and the operation thus proceeds.

IVithin the crimp-dies, and in passing therethrough, the twist isperfectly t-rued,77 and the bit or auger is straightenedf7 so as to beready for completion by the heading and iinishing operations.

By withdrawing the pins p, the dies may be detached, and others of adifferent size or pattern substituted, and, by adjusting the crank-pinN, the degree of pitch imparted by the twisting-shaft may be regulated.Y

Having thus described this my invention, I claiml. In combination withan oscillating hollow shaft, T, for twisting angers, the stationarycrimp-die I and the reciprocating crimpdie I2, arranged in line with theaxis of the shaft, and operating together to hold land straighten theauger, said reciprocating die serving also to alternately clamp andloosen the auger, and said stationary die operating as a half-nut forfeeding the loosened auger during the backward movements of thetwisting-shaft, as herein set forth.

2. The combina-tion of the holding and straightening dies' I IZ, thehand-lever V, the cam G on the driving-shaft, and the retracting-springss, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the rotary drivingshaft S, carrying the crank-diskD a-nd cam C, and vprovided with hand-Wheel H, the osshown anddescribed, for the purpose specicillating twisting-shaft T, operated bysaid fied. Y crank-disk and the reciprocating holding and straighteningdie I2, projected by said cam, WILLIAM TUCKER' with the driving-pulley Pand {1y-Wheel F, at- Witnesses:

Jcached to the driving-shaft by clutch L, so as EMORY L. BATES,

to be disconnected at will, substantially as RUFUS E. BOND.

